10 Jun 2016

Last month, Liverpool defender Kolo Toure once again reiterated his desire to stay at Anfield, but whilst he remains popular amongst the fanbase, Jurgen Klopp has reportedly decided that the Ivorian is surplus to requirements.

After the Europa League final defeat in Basel, Toure - hailed by John Aldridge as a 'brilliant' defender - told reporters:

“Of course I want to stay, but the manager has his plan and any decision I will respect".

Well, according to ESPN (and multiple other credible sources) today:
"Toure's departure from Liverpool will be officially confirmed when the club's list of retained players is published on Friday".

Toure - who reportedly earns £65k-a-week - is a solid, dependable, no-nonsense centre-back, and Liverpool fans still have great faith in the Ivorian to do a job for the team. Indeed, a recent site poll revealed emphatic support for keeping Toure at the club:

Unfortunately for Toure, Liverpool's pitiful 8th place finish in the league probably hammered the final nail into his Anfield coffin. With no European football next season, there's no need for four senior international centre-backs, and with the reduced fixture list, Toure will struggle for game time.

Toure's experience, and winning mentality will be the biggest loss. When he leaves, it'll leave James Milner as the only member of the first-team squad with any experience of winning the Premier League title, and it's doubtful that Klopp will be able to bring in anyone with a similar experience level.